Solihull Moors Ladies 3 Stourbridge Ladies 0

Perfect start for Ross Thorpe at Tally Ho - by Jack Hasler

Solihull Moors Ladies kicked off new boss Ross Thorpe’s tenure with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Stourbridge to go through to round three of the Birmingham County Cup.

All three goals were scored after the break as Cat Stobie, Millie Kirk and Natalie Dean struck following an incident which saw a Stourbridge player sent off, reducing them to ten.

The win was Moors’ first since September when they defeated Loughborough Students in the previous round of the competition.

The hosts were well on top from the first whistle and within six minutes had a penalty. Striker Jade Hewitt was brought down in the box before seeing her spot kick well saved by the keeper who got down well, low to her left to push to safety.

Moors’ domination continued with Abbie Taylor at the heart of the attacking pressure, first seeing an effort saved by the keeper before minutes later having another blocked on the line when she latched onto Pip Harmison’s deflected strike.

Thorpe’s side were then given an even greater chance to get their first win in five matches when a fiery exchange with the officials lead to a Stourbridge defender receiving her marching orders, giving Moors the player’s advantage.

After the interval, Solihull continued to trouble their opponents as they looked to make their extra player count, and just after the hour mark they did just that when a Taylor corner from the right found the head of Stobie who guided past the keeper, giving new manager Thorpe and his side a deserved lead.

Quickly after scoring their first, Moors had a second, as Kirk slid in at the back post following a free kick which Stourbridge failed to clear, forcing into the corner of the before seemingly unbeatable away keeper’s net.

It was visible that confidence was flowing through the Moors team and with their opponents looking to find a way back into the game, they were able to counter through another substitute, Dean, who sprinted down the left before slotting home at the near post to secure a perfect start for new boss Thorpe.

The win puts Moors into the hat for round three of the County Cup as they prepare for next week’s trip to Sheffield where they’ll face Steel City Wanderers as they look to earn their first league win of the 2018/19 campaign.